I'll Be There
by ChainBound
Summary: Astrid Green, a normal girl, lives quite an abnormal life. She's smart, loves to read, and daydreams too much to be good for her. She spends most of her time at a local library, and there she meets Harry, a skinny boy who soon becomes her friend. After their chance meeting, things in Astrid's life seem to be getting weirder and weirder. And it seems to never stop as she grows older


_**A New Friend.**_

Astrid walked on the sidewalk with her head down, hoping not to attract attention to herself. She hated attention. When she got attention, it meant that people would ask questions, and when she was asked questions, she rarely knew the answers. Cars rushed past her, but she barely noticed them, instead getting lost in her own thoughts. She loved to get lost in her mind, never noticing the things happening around her, yet the slightest change in atmosphere- the silence after a previously loud conversation, the sudden loud bang in the otherwise quiet night- would pull her back into reality. Her mind, she reasoned, was like her own imaginary television. She went into her own world, one filled with fictional people doing selfless acts of bravery. There was the heroine, saving a child from a speeding car that ran a red light. There was the child, clinging helplessly to her, his savior. But Astrid knew all too well that there are very few selfless people in the world. Nobody she new would jump in front of a car to rescue a terrified child, or push a police officer out of the way of a speeding bullet, only to be instantly killed by it. There weren't many like that, so she created them in her mind. Perhaps one day she would meet one such as the people in her imaginary world, but for now she would have to wait.

She stood in a crowd of people who all towered over her to cross the street. A few of them glanced down to look at her briefly, probably wondering if she was alone, and if so where were her parents. She didn't move her eyes from the back of the knee of the person standing in front of her. Most people didn't even give her the time of day, anyway. The signal for them to cross came. She crossed with the adults, the group splitting two ways when they reached the end. Astrid went left, following the man in front of her. She knew the route by heart, after following it so many times. Perhaps she could do it with her eyes closed, but she wouldn't want to try. There was always a chance she would wander into the streets and be hit by a car, and like she said earlier, there weren't many people who would jump at the chance to save her. It was like that with most everything; nobody gave her the time of day. Not her family or her schoolmates or her teachers. She was too stupid for most of them, for the others she was too small and weak. She realized she had nobody in the world, nobody she truly cared about and nobody who truly cared about her. She was kicked down so many times and she struggled to get back up. The trick was to not fall in the first place. To block the hand before it hit. She had to become strong. Astrid looked at the sidewalk she tread on, noticing the cracks in the cement and wondering when they had gotten there. Was it just from countless rainstorms, or did someone drop something heavy on the pavement that created a crack? Who else had walked on that sidewalk, how many lives had ghosted across the street? Who was that man she was behind? Was he married, was he satisfied with his life? Once again she let her mind wander to a far away place. She saw a girl her age standing up to the people who were hurting her, not letting their words bring her down. She shook her head and focused on getting to her destination.

The building was grand in its own way. White marble pillars sat outside the entrance, framing the building. It was made of bricks and looked like her school, only the sight of it made her more happy than that place did. She smiled to herself and took the stairs two at a time. And then she was inside. Books surrounded her, walls of books of every size and color, of every genre and length. Stories filled the building, so many lives, fictional and nonfictional, so many tales of triumph and demise, love and laughter. So many things to read and so little time to read them. But time there was almost non-existent. She could stay there for hours and never know it had been that long. She remembered the term 'time flies when you're having fun' and she realized that yes, it very well did. Astrid entered the library, inhaling deeply and savoring the scent of the library; that smell of old books, old stories, and comfort. She never felt like she belonged anywhere else but there. She smiled brightly at the librarian; a young lady with beautiful blonde hair that whisked and billowed behind her as she made her way gracefully throughout the library. Her name was an adjective of herself, Grace. Grace smiled back at Astrid, her kind eyes welcoming her. Astrid would choose her to be her mother any day.

"Good morning, Astrid." Grace greeted her when she stepped up to the desk. "Did you finish the book you borrowed?"

"Yes." Astrid said and reached into her bag to get the novel.

"Did you like it?" Grace asked as she took the offered tomb from her hands. Astrid grinned one of her very rare grins, ones she saved for things she really enjoyed.

"Yes." She said again. Grace smiled warmly at her.

"I thought you would. It's exactly your style, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Well then, if you don't explore you'll never discover. Off you go." She politely shooed Astrid off. Astrid didn't mind- after all, Grace was right. She made her way to a section of the library that was more toward the back. That section was the 'new releases' part, where she found most of the books she liked to read. She knelt down in front of a shelf and started at the very bottom, working her way up. Soon she found an interesting title and took it off the shelf. "The Giver" the title read and she nodded. Astrid didn't bother to read the summary. In her opinion, any book was a good book. Besides, it was good to expand your knowledge. She carried the book to the place that she usually liked to sit; a corner near the New Releases section that had two comfortable looking armchairs sitting in front of one another, with a small table in between them. Usually there was nobody in that area because it was so far into the maze of shelves. Nobody ventured that far in without a guide in fear of getting lost amongst the books, and then they would be trapped forever with only the stories of countless lives for company, perhaps. But, then again, Astrid did have quite an active imagination, so that was most likely not the case. Perhaps nobody spent their time in a library like she did. But that day there was one brave soul who decided to wander right into the chair she had claimed as her own.

"Excuse me." She said quietly because, after all, she was in a library. The person in her seat jumped in surprise and looked up. "You are in my seat."

"I am? I'm sorry." The boy stood. "Can I sit in this chair?" He pointed at the second one as if he needed permission.

"Be my guest." He walked over and sat in the other chair while Astrid took the one he had previously been occupying. The boy, a small, skinny little thing with black, messy hair and nerdy wire-framed glasses that helped his bright green eyes to see better, stared at nothing in particular as he sat. He had no book to read; he only stared off into space as if he were thinking hard about something. Perhaps he was imagining something, like Astrid did. Maybe he was lost in a world full of daring sword fights, magic spells, a princess in need of a prince...

Or maybe he was the kind of boy who imagined himself traveling over seas, to America, maybe, or Brazil, or Mexico. Perhaps he'd read a book that talked of a better place and he was wondering what it would be like to live there. But he was probably just thinking of real things, school, friends, family, things that normal people got lost in. Astrid shook her head and went back to her book. She was through two paragraphs when she realized she didn't remember anything she had read. She was still thinking. Was he the kind of boy who imagined different worlds? Was he a daydreamer? Did he like to get lost in books?

"Um, excuse me." A voice cut through the silence and she was immediately pulled out of her thoughts. She looked up from the spot on the table she'd been staring at, to the boy in front of her. "Do you know where the bathroom is?" He asked tentatively. He was shy.

"Yes," she said, "if you go back to the front desk, it's right across the room from there. There's a sign."

"How do you get back to the desk from here?" The boy asked. Still, there was that level of timidness in his voice and his posture.

"What's your name?" Astrid wanted to know.

"Harry." The boy- Harry- answered.

"Hullo, Harry, I'm Astrid." She turned in her chair, perching on her knees so she could see above the back of it. "If you walk straight down that aisle until you reach the end, then take a right, then a left, you'll be there." She turned back to face the front. "Did you catch all of that?" She asked politely.

"Er, yes, I think so." Harry scratched the back of his head. He walked down the aisle and then turned right, out of her line of sight. _Harry_. His name was so... ordinary. She'd expected it to be more original. But beggars couldn't be choosers, she knew his name and he knew hers and that was that. She went back to her book. A few minutes later, Harry reappeared.

"Did you find it alright?" She asked when he sat back down.

"Yes, thank you." Harry said.

"Do you have a book to read?"

"Oh, no." He said and looked down at his feet. Now that she really looked, his shoes looked too big for him, those and the rest of his attire. His shirt hung off his shoulders and exposed his collar bone to the world, his pants sagged off his thin hips. He was very skinny, too. She'd noticed it before, but it only then struck her how underfed he looked. His fingernails had dirt under them and he picked at them nervously as he spoke. "I don't really know where everything is..." He trialed off.

"I could find one for you, if you'd like." Astrid offered and he gave a tentative nod. She stood. "Come on." He followed her through the shelves. "What do you like to read usually?" Harry's eyes strayed to the books beside them.

"I don't usually read." He said. "Only for school."

"Well, what in school do you usually like to read?" Astrid asked. Harry shrugged his boney shoulders. "You're definitely a challenge, Harry." She sighed and turned a corner. "Do you like fiction? Things that are imaginary?"

"Like what?"

"Like dragons and magic and werewolves. Things that could never happen."

"I guess I do." Harry shrugged again. Astrid furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why did you come to the library when you aren't going to read anything?" She asked and he kept his eyes on the spines of the books.

"I dunno. It's quiet here. Everything's so... still." Harry's face turned a bit pink, like he was embarrassed by his answer.

"That's true. Reading can hardly be considered still, though." Harry looked at her then.

"What do you mean?"

"The types of books I read, they're always moving, progressing. The characters and the settings, they never stay the same for long." Harry looked at her, curiosity written along his face.

"You make reading sound so... captivating." Captivating, that was a big word.

"How old are you?"

"Ten."

"You sure do use big words."

"I do? Oh, you mean captivating? I just learned that word yesterday. I _am_ using it correctly, aren't I?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm not sure what it means." It bothered her slightly, not knowing the definition. After she'd read so many books, she ought to have learned the meaning from one of them. She often came upon words that she didn't know, so she always remembered what they were and looked them up at a later date, that is, if she could remember it. She really should bring along a dictionary.

"It means interesting, I think."

"You think?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure..."

"Well, let's look it up, then." She turned herself around and walked the way they had come. Harry ran up next to her.

"Where are we going?"

"To the dictionaries, of course. Where else?"

"Why don't we just use the computer?"

"Why waste the time? The dictionaries are closer." Harry walked next to her silently far a few moments.

"Just how much do you come here?" He asked suddenly.

"Pardon?"

"You seem to know your way around here pretty well. Do you come here often?" He asked curiously.

"As often as I can."

"Do you walk here?"

"Yes."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Astrid paused.

"Why what?"

"Why do you come alone?"

"Why not?"

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"Of others, I mean. When you're walking on the sidewalk, aren't you afraid of all the people? Aren't you afraid someone bigger than you might want to hurt you?" Harry asked, now looking very curious, waiting for my answer.

"Being small doesn't mean you have to be afraid of bigger things. Are you afraid of these tall shelves? Are you afraid they'll fall on you?"

"No."

"I know. Why should you? Something so structured and balanced shouldn't be allowed to crumble. It's the same way with people. Why should I be afraid that they'll risk the balance of the people around them, just for me? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"No, not really."

"Hm, okay, well, think of the outside street as a running machine. The people, the cars, and the buildings are what keeps it running properly. It's a system of moving parts. Now, the oil for that machine- you know how machines work, don't you? Good. The oil for that machine is the laws that have been placed to protect us. Now, you know that every part of a machine has a role, right? Something to keep it moving. If one part of it doesn't get any oil, what will happen? That one part will rust up and stop moving, and it will throw the machine off balance. The rules keep people from rusting. They keep balance in the world. If one person breaks the rules- let's say they try to kidnap a little girl off the streets in broad daylight-, then the whole system gets temporarily shut down. People go into a frenzy and the order is lost. Do you get it?"

"Yes, I think so. You're saying that nobody can hurt you because they know that if they try to, they'll cause too much trouble, right? Trouble for them, and the people around them."

"Exactly." They reached the section that held the dictionaries and Astrid took a large one off the shelf. "Let's see, captivating." she muttered the word under her breath as she flipped through the pages. She glanced up to see Harry staring at her as she fingered through the book. She didn't think anything of it. "Ah, here it is." She read off the definition. "Captivating; adjective: capable of attracting and holding interest; charming." She closed the book and looked up to see his smile could light up a dark room. Astrid smiled back at him. "Looks like you were right." Harry was staring at her again, this time he looked a bit surprised. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just... that was the first time you've smiled since I met you." Harry admitted with a blush staining his cheeks.

"Really? I guess I don't do smiles." Astrid said and shrugged, placing the book back in it's rightful place.

"You should. Smiles reassure people."

"You didn't look like you needed reassuring."

"Still, you don't need a specific reason to smile, do you? You don't just wake up and think 'oh, I wonder who I'm going to smile for today.'"

"No, I don't do that." Astrid said and turned, heading down the aisle once again. Harry rushed to catch up with her. "So, what books _have_ you read?" Harry shrugged.

"Just books, I guess."

"You're very descriptive, did you know?" Astrid said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"There's no need to be rude about it." Harry said, pouting.

"Oh, I'm only joking." Astrid couldn't help but smile at his childishness and she poked his cheek with her finger. He frowned and dodged away from her finger. "So, do you have any idea of what you think you like to read?" She asked.

"Not really. Something captivating." He said, smiling. She found herself returning the smile. To Astrid, everything good in her life had a capacity limit. She had a short supply of smiles left in her, so she saved them for moments that really mattered to her. She could use her smiles as a weapon or a beacon, something to cherish or something to waste. Something empty, or something filled with emotion. It was all up to her, something that she had control over, and that made her feel powerful. "Well then, Harry. I'll guide you to another world... if you'll let me." Harry looked at her for a moment, then he smiled again, eyes shining.

"Lead the way." And she did. They made it to the fiction section and Astrid knelt by a bookcase. She was looking for a specific one, a book that she had really enjoyed and thought Harry would, too.

"What I do," she said as she looked, "is find a title that seems promising, then I take the book and start to read it."

"Isn't that sort of like judging a book by it's cover?"

"In a literal sense." She said and, finding what she was looking for, took it from it's place. She nodded and handed it to him.

"The Lion, The Which, and The Wardrobe." Harry said, reading the title. He turned it over to glance at the back, but Astrid quickly snatched it from his grasp before he could read any of it. "Hey!"

"Shh!" She shushed him for being so loud. "Hush up, we're in a library. Don't read the back."

"Why not?"

"Because it ruins the surprise. You'll go in knowing what it's about. The fun part is being surprised."

"But what if I don't like it?"

"Then you find another one." Astrid explained. "Besides, I think you'll like it. It's got all sorts of things like magic and witches and things in it."

"Okay..." Harry still sounded a bit reluctant.

"You'll like it." Astrid said firmly, then pulled him away from the section.

"This place is so big. How aren't you getting lost?" He asked.

"I come here a lot." She said, turning a corner. She released his arm and let him follow on his own. "It's really not that complicated if you think about it. If you turn right enough, eventually you'll find your way back. Have you ever heard about that myth? In a maze, if you turn right every turn, you'll find the end. I'm sure it doesn't work, but I've never been in a maze, so I wouldn't know."

"Neither have I."

"I'm sure I'd have a panic attack. I'm very claustrophobic." Astrid said.

"What does claustrophobic mean?" Harry asked.

"Fear of enclosed spaces."

"Oh. So what's the word if you're afraid of heights?"

"I don't know. Airophobia?"

"Maybe."

"That's going to bother me."

"What is?"  
"Not knowing the word. I can't stand not knowing things." They reached their chairs and each took a seat. Astrid picked up her book from the table she set it on and cracked it open, but Harry kept his closed.

"You're weird." He said simply. Astrid glanced up at him.

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yes. Because I read a lot, and I like to know the meanings of big words. But it's alright, I like being weird. You know, you're weird too, Harry."

"I am?"

"Yes. Any other boy wouldn't have given up this seat, let alone come to a library. And he probably wouldn't bother learning big words, or using them. You're different, Harry." She tilted her head to the side a bit. "Curiouser and curiouser."

"Huh?"

"Alice in Wonderland. Don't tell me you've never heard of it."

"I've never heard of a lot of things."

"No fairy tales? Cinderella, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin?"

"No."

"Your parents never read you stories?"

"I don't have any parents. They died." Harry said shortly.

"Oh." Astrid felt bad about bringing it up. "I'm sorry."

"You couldn't have known. I don't remember them, anyway. It happened when I was a baby."

"Do you live with relatives?"

"My aunt and uncle." Harry answered, voice turning a bit bitter. "They don't like me much."

"Don't like you?" Harry shrugged his boney shoulders. Maybe his aunt and uncle didn't like him enough to deny him food, or make him wear hand-me-down clothes too big for him, or perhaps make him sleep on the floor, or in a cupboard, of all things. Astrid could only imagine it; a boy like Harry being pushed around by his mean relatives, mistreated, neglected. And then one day, a savior would come for him... a wizard, with a magic wand and a big, pointy hat with a long, white beard, who would grant him three wishes. And perhaps that boy would wish for somebody to care for him, and oh, wouldn't he take Astrid with him? "That's alright. My great aunt and uncle don't like me, either."

"Great?"

"My grandparent's sister and her husband. They took me in when my grandparents died. And then before that my parents died. I don't remember much of them. So now I live with my aunt and uncle. They hate me, though." She shrugged like it wasn't a big deal which, to her, it really wasn't. She didn't wish to dig into the subject of abusive guardians. "Well, to each his own, I guess. I can't change their opinion. Go on, start reading. Oh-" a thought suddenly struck her and she mentally face-palmed for not thinking it earlier, "maybe I should have picked something a bit easier for you." She bit her lip. "If it's too hard-"

"I think it'll be fine," Harry cut her off reassuringly. "I'll be okay." He smiled at her and she instantly felt better about it. She found herself returning the smile effortlessly.

"Okay," she said, leaning back into the comfortable chair. "Go."

"Okay." Harry opened the book and started reading it. Astrid watched him for a moment, imagining Harry inside the world of Narnia, battling the White Witch's army with a giant sword, face scrunched in grit determination, but it looked all wrong. Harry didn't seem like the type who fought things. He seemed like one who would make mischief and get into trouble. She could imagine him doing that with friends by his side. Astrid shook her head and looked at the pages of her book. She tried to get lost in the words, to retreat to the world of fiction, but she found her brain was not willing to cooperate. That day was one of those days where she just couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept wandering to other places and then she would pull herself back in, read two sentences, and then repeat the process. After a while, a chime from the clock in the front of the library found it's way over to their little spot, dinging five times. Five o'clock. Astrid had to be home at five-fifteen. It was a ten minute walk, and she liked to be early.

"I should go home." Astrid stated.

"Hm?" Harry said absentmindedly, tearing his eyes away from his book. "What was that?"

"I should go home." She said again and closed her book. Harry blinked.

"Now?"

"Yes." Astrid stood too fast and suddenly her vision darkened with black spots and her head started to pound. She blinked, shaking off the feeling.

"Are you okay?" Harry had stood up from his chair and was looking at her curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, rubbing her eyes. Her head felt a bit fuzzy. "Stood up too fast."

"You get those, too?" He asked.

"Yes. How far have you gotten?" She asked, talking about the book.

"Chapter twelve." He said, smiling. "I like it."

"You read fast." Astrid said and gestured for him to follow her as she made her way through the shelves. "We've only been at it for an hour or so, and the chapters are long. If you get a library card, you can take it home, but you have to bring it back in two weeks."

"What if I don't finish it?"

"You can renew it and have it for another two weeks."

"What if I loose it or it gets destroyed?"

"Then you have to pay for them to get another one."

"How much would that be?" Astrid shrugged.

"Four pounds?" She said. "Give or take a few." Harry looked down at the book, like he was thinking hard about something.

"Do you come here every day?" He asked after a few moments.

"Like I said, as often as I can. My aunt and uncle work weekdays and I like to come here while they're out." They came out of the shelves and found themselves back at the front of the library. "You don't _have_ to borrow it. Just put it back where you found it and if you come back you can just start form where you left off."

"I think I'll do that." Harry said and Astrid shrugged. He looked at the clock on the wall and his eyes widened a fraction. "Oh, it's already past five? My aunt and uncle with be here at five-fifteen."

"Alright. Do you know where to put the book?" Astrid asked.

"Not really."

"Here, I'll do it." She took the book and Harry followed her back into the shelves. "So how often are you planning to come, or was this just a one time thing?"

"Oh, I don't know. My aunt is having the house painted, inside and out, so they dropped me off here and went somewhere for the day. I guess they'll keep doing that until it's finished."

"How long do you think that will take?" Astrid asked. They reached the shelf they'd taken the book from and Astrid knelt down to slip it back into its rightful place. She also put her own book back in its place, figuring that she could continue it the next day when she came back. She only really checked books out when she wanted to read something over the weekend, preferring not to take them home with her too often.

"I don't know, maybe three weeks? I'm terrible at estimating times."

"How big is the house?"

"Oh, um, a regular size, I guess."

"How many rooms?"

"I'm not sure. It has three bedrooms, and a, um, there's a cupboard under the stairs." Harry looked away, but Astrid only shook it off.

"Hm, well, if it's the same size as mine, which I'm almost positive it is, it should take maybe around three weeks- that is, if they work all day, every day. Both inside and outside?"

"Yes."

"I should say around three weeks." Astrid said with a nod of her head.

"You're good with numbers."

"Math is my second best subject."

"What's your first?"

"Reading."

"Right, of course."

"Of course." She grinned at him, that rare grin again, and he returned it. Then, he stopped smiling, and his face fell. For a moment, Astrid thought she'd done something wrong, but he suddenly looked a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry- I've forgotten your name." Harry said hesitantly, looking sheepish.

"Oh," Astrid said, glad it was something as simple as that. "It's okay, a lot of people do. Astrid." She said and turned slightly toward Harry. She stuck out her hand. Harry smiled and took it.

"Harry." They shook. They returned to the front and Astrid waved to Grace, who was behind the desk. Grace smiled an waved back.

"Well, Harry," she said as they reached the doors, "it was nice reading with you today. I hope I'll see you tomorrow." Harry smiled at her.

"Me, too." They exited together. Harry found a bench to sit on while he waited for his relatives to pick him up, and Astrid headed up the street to the first crosswalk she'd have to take. It had been a fun day, she had to admit. Harry was good company. And she hadn't been lying when she told him he was different. Really, most boys wouldn't have given her the time of day, but Harry had listened and even contributed to the conversations they had. Astrid felt she could truthfully say she'd made a friend all on her own. She didn't have many friends that lived close to her and besides, she was either always at the library or in the house doing chores. During the school year, nobody really paid attention to her. They all thought she was weird because she read a lot and never stopped talking about books and fictional characters and daydreamed and stared into space. The closest thing she'd ever had as a friends before Harry was her cat, Dina, who was supposed to be the whole "family's" cat, but Astrid was the one who fed her and gave her baths and things like that. She made it across the street and turned to look back at the library. She saw a car pull up and honk, making Harry jump. He walked quickly toward the car and got in. His aunt and uncle, Astrid guessed. Harry seemed smart enough not to get into a complete stranger's car. She turned back around and made her way down the sidewalk, already looking forward to the next day and the possibility of seeing Harry again.

* * *

Hello, humans of planet Earth. Yes, hi, hello, hola, bonjour. So, this is my first fanfiction, yay, exciting, I know. I appreciate reviews and concrit :) I hope to continue this, but only if I know people read and enjoy it, so you know what to do! Click the 'favorite' and 'follow' and 'review' button, yup, those are the ones, right there. So please, tell me what you think :p. Oh, and the title of the story may or may not change after a few chapters :D


End file.
